Right to education: ‘2.5m children out of school in K-P’

Since 2005 nearly 2,200 schools have not been functional.

PESHAWAR:

Nearly 2.5 million children in the province do not attend school. This was learnt at an enrolment walk organised by the Mohmand Community for Education and Development (MCED). The walk, which started at Peshawar Press Club, was planned in collaboration with Alif Ailaan.

Speaking on the occasion, Alif Ailaan’s executive director in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Munir Orakzai told participants at least 2.5 million children in K-P do not attend school. He said 2,200 schools have been non-functional between 2005 and 2014 because of conflicts and natural disasters.

Education is the only development tool which can navigate the province out of its predicament, added Orakzai.

According to the executive director, K-P is vulnerable to all forms of natural disasters and conflicts. This has affected the children of the province as schools have been destroyed or closed down. Moreover, Orakzai added, the absence of toilets, water and basic infrastructure at schools has weakened the standard of education in K-P.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, MCED executive director Fakhre Alam said civil society organisations had approached then K-P education minister Sardar Babak to invoke Article-25A—right to education—in the province. The education ministry had also been asked to allocate funds to renovate schools in the province.

According to Alam, if Article 25A is implemented in K-P, all children who have been forced out of school would be able to gain access to education.

The enrolment walk was attended by a large number of people, including civil society organisations, students, lawyers and teachers.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 14^th, 2014.